Lettuce discuss wheel cleaners.

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Rez90

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I'm not necessarily looking for everyone's favorite (although all are welcome to chime in). I bought a gallon of Griots green wheel cleaner last year and found myself pretty happy with it.

Since then a few others have come into the market with what seem like good results. Sonax...the new DP....etc.

My question is....i did some quick cleanings of my vehicle's last weekend and ran out of Griots. Now...unless i'm absolutely in love with a product i tend to keep trying everything available until i know which is "the one". But when i was shopping for gallons of wheel cleaner most of them were double sometimes triple (Sonax) what the griots cost.

So my question to the guru's is.....are the other wheel cleaners out there so much better that they're worth 2-3 times something of the quality of Griots?

Cheers.
 
Lettuce?

iceberglettuce.jpg


Or Let us?


:D
 
All kidding aside...

With the cost of some custom wheels and tires in the hundreds and thousands of dollars, even "factory rims", the most important thing you want to do before choosing a wheel cleaner is to first find out,

What is the wheel made out of?

or

What is the wheel coated with?

Or

In some cases, you can have a modular wheel where some components are not coated just straight material, (usually aluminum), while other components are coated.


Brake Dust is best and easiest dissolved using wheel cleaners with acid in them, it is the acid that has the ability to loosen and emulsify the brake dust. But acid can and will stain some materials, (polished aluminum), or coatings, (anodizing), so that's why before you spray any wheel with a wheel cleaner you need to know what the wheel is made out of, for example aluminum, or coated with, for example factory painted rims.


On the other hand, acid doesn't clean road grime very well, soaps and detergents break up oily films. So a good general purpose wheel cleaner is formulated to clean both brake dust and road grime, two different types of offending contaminants that are removed best with cleaning ingredients dedicated for specifically tackling each type.


:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Lettuce?

iceberglettuce.jpg


Or Let us?


:D
Click to expand...

HAHA that's exactly what I was thinking.

As for wheel cleaners....These are what I use

Sonax wheel cleaner
Super Clean diluted 4:1
CG Citrus Wheel Cleaner

Right now my go to is the sonax if the wheels are heavily soiled with brake dust. But the Super Clean diluted works awesome as well.
 
Rez90 said:
So my question to the guru's is.....are the other wheel cleaners out there so much better that they're worth 2-3 times something of the quality of Griots?
Click to expand...

There are a lot of variables to consider there depending on how you wash your wheels and whether you do it for business or pleasure.

Sonax, is a much different cleaner than most of the cookie-cutter wheel cleaners on the market. I'll tell you the story about the FIRST time I used Sonax:

I did my usual routine with the wheel cleaner as I would with APC+ (my former wheel cleaner). I sprayed it on each of my 4 tires liberally getting the faces as well as the barrels. I then went and grabbed my wheel brush and speedmaster to start scrubbing.
Much to my amazement, I walked up to a completely clean (albeit covered in maroon at the bottom) wheel. I sprayed the wheels off to discover that they were completely spotless. I didn't have to scrub a single inch of my wheels. Also, some of the stuff that usually would require a claying or polishing to get out was completely gone from the painted wheels.

Now, given, that most of the contamination on my wheels was brake dust; it was still amazing. Sonax cut (at least) 20 minutes out of my overall wash time. Also, it cut innumerable hours out of what would be a yearly wheel clay-polish routine.

However, one 16oz bottle of Sonax is more than a 128oz bottle of Meguiars APC+ which can be diluted at 4:1 water:apc.

Is the cost worth it to you? Do you have time/like to scrub your wheels? Do you have to clay them and polish sometimes to get rid of contamination that comes from high performance brake pads like I do? Do you have the money to buy Sonax? Do you have a light colored car that has issues with rail dust? (I do, and I can use Sonax on both my wheels and paint.)

I don't really choose to do one or the other. I use Meguiars APC+ or Super Degreaser 3 times a month, then I use Sonax 1 time a month. That way, I'm getting some cost effectiveness and cutting out yearly clay/polishes. Also, as mentioned, I use it for decontamination of my white car's paint. To me, it's worth it.

Autogeek IS running a good deal on Sonax full effect now, 2/$140, which is quite the savings but still ridiculous for those who are used to a generic APC cleaner.

Honestly though, just purchase a 16oz bottle of the full effect and give it a try. You likely won't regret it :dblthumb2:
 
cobalt9123 said:
There are a lot of variables to consider there depending on how you wash your wheels and whether you do it for business or pleasure.

Sonax, is a much different cleaner than most of the cookie-cutter wheel cleaners on the market. I'll tell you the story about the FIRST time I used Sonax:

I did my usual routine with the wheel cleaner as I would with APC+ (my former wheel cleaner). I sprayed it on each of my 4 tires liberally getting the faces as well as the barrels. I then went and grabbed my wheel brush and speedmaster to start scrubbing.
Much to my amazement, I walked up to a completely clean (albeit covered in maroon at the bottom) wheel. I sprayed the wheels off to discover that they were completely spotless. I didn't have to scrub a single inch of my wheels. Also, some of the stuff that usually would require a claying or polishing to get out was completely gone from the painted wheels.

Now, given, that most of the contamination on my wheels was brake dust; it was still amazing. Sonax cut (at least) 20 minutes out of my overall wash time. Also, it cut innumerable hours out of what would be a yearly wheel clay-polish routine.

However, one 16oz bottle of Sonax is more than a 128oz bottle of Meguiars APC+ which can be diluted at 4:1 water:apc.

Is the cost worth it to you? Do you have time/like to scrub your wheels? Do you have to clay them and polish sometimes to get rid of contamination that comes from high performance brake pads like I do? Do you have the money to buy Sonax? Do you have a light colored car that has issues with rail dust? (I do, and I can use Sonax on both my wheels and paint.)

I don't really choose to do one or the other. I use Meguiars APC+ or Super Degreaser 3 times a month, then I use Sonax 1 time a month. That way, I'm getting some cost effectiveness and cutting out yearly clay/polishes. Also, as mentioned, I use it for decontamination of my white car's paint. To me, it's worth it.

Autogeek IS running a good deal on Sonax full effect now, 2/$140, which is quite the savings but still ridiculous for those who are used to a generic APC cleaner.

Honestly though, just purchase a 16oz bottle of the full effect and give it a try. You likely won't regret it :dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

Good post. Thank you.
 
Rez90 said:
Good post. Thank you.
Click to expand...

No problem.

Here shortly I believe I'll do a review on Sonax vs APC+ vs Super Degreaser just sprayed on the wheel with some dwell time and then a rinse to see which was more effective.

My dad never washes his truck or his wheels so his brake-dusty grime covered front wheels will make perfect candidates :hungry:
 
I will chime in on this with some pictures when I get home from work. Just picked up some 2000 Subaru Outback wheels that are in good condition but were absolutely filthy. Gonna switch out my lame steelies with these.
 
Salad anyone? :poke:

Cobalt - Great write-up on your Sonax experience. I won a 16oz bottle recently and it's good to know the product is top notch. The downside is that my wheels are pretty clean so it may not make the major difference others are seeing.
 
One thing to note that wasn't brought up about the Sonax...is that it only will change color (green to red) if it reacts with metal. So, if you have ceramic brakes it won't change color. Doesn't mean it's not working.
 
Optimum Power Clean is the strongest wheel cleaner I've used. You can use it safely un-diluted on any wheel, but it's still very effective at 3:1. It's safe on any wheel finish. Plus, you can use power clean on a variety of other surfaces.

Sent using Tapatalk
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
Optimum Power Clean is the strongest wheel cleaner I've used. You can use it safely un-diluted on any wheel, but it's still very effective at 3:1. It's safe on any wheel finish. Plus, you can use power clean on a variety of other surfaces.

Sent using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

How did I know you would chime in on this? :laughing:

Sonax can also be used as a paint decontamination chemical. It is fantastic for those of us with light-colored vehicles who have problems with rail dust or other metal contamination and works much better, and faster, than clay.

I still would like to see a head to head comparison of OPC undiluted and Sonax undiluted without agitation and a rinse down. I need to quit being lazy and make it happen :xyxthumbs:
 
cobalt9123 said:
How did I know you would chime in on this? :laughing:

Sonax can also be used as a paint decontamination chemical. It is fantastic for those of us with light-colored vehicles who have problems with rail dust or other metal contamination and works much better, and faster, than clay.

I still would like to see a head to head comparison of OPC undiluted and Sonax undiluted without agitation and a rinse down. I need to quit being lazy and make it happen :xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...
I with Optimum like Corey is to Ultima! :laughing:

I did a rinse test with striaght OPC vs. Brown Royal Wheel Cleaner.

OPC > BR

:righton:
 
Haven't tried Sonax but it sounds great, albeit too expensive for weekly use. My math tells me that, using 17 ounces for four wheels (between 15 and 20 ounces is my average) comes out to $14.00 a wash!!!

($99.00 x 1.07(tax) / 128oz * 17oz per wash)

I'm just about finished with a gallon of Griot's. It doesn't work as well as Mother's Foaming All Wheel. Mother's is a better product. the Griot's is pretty much kind of a gentle concentrated soap. It will not clean the calipers nor the hubs and everything needs to be brushed - even with weekly washes. It does finish great and seems not to remove the sealant off the wheels though. Can't say that about Mother's because I tried it before I applied sealant to the wheels.

Mother's all Wheel will clean everything with a lot less agitation, depending on how much dirt and brake dust there is and the amount of dwell time. If the wheels are fairly clean no agitation is needed at all.

AG is carrying the Mother's product by the gallon for $29.99 so I will go back to it when I run out of Griot's, which should be by next week :).

I use about 15-20 ounces of each of the products for four wheels so a gallon lasts about the same for both.

Jose
 
SeaJay's said:
One thing to note that wasn't brought up about the Sonax...is that it only will change color (green to red) if it reacts with metal. So, if you have ceramic brakes it won't change color. Doesn't mean it's not working.
Click to expand...

From my understanding if you have ceramic brakes don't use harsh wheel cleaners, use soap and water.

07 z-oh-6 said:
Optimum Power Clean is the strongest wheel cleaner I've used. You can use it safely un-diluted on any wheel, but it's still very effective at 3:1. It's safe on any wheel finish. Plus, you can use power clean on a variety of other surfaces.

Sent using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Power Clean FOR THE WIN! I alternate between P21S Gel (out of stock now), Sonax, and OPC.
 
So heres some Megs APC diluted 4:1 with a copper brush. My goal was to get the majority off but not perfect. After all, i'm not 100% positive what I want to do with these. Possibly powder coat them.

Before
5548553922_7fde2a09a4.jpg


50/50
5548537102_3d3d0e9179.jpg

5547962301_fc82ae2068.jpg


After. Decent wheels for being 12 years old and $150 for all 4.
5547966663_04a83952fb.jpg


I'd say go with Sonax Full Effect. APC works but takes A LOT of time. Each wheel took me roughly 10-15 minutes. Not to mention there is still a lot of caked on specs. Once I get my hands on another bottle of Sonax I will see what it can take off these guys.
 
Jsuro said:
Haven't tried Sonax but it sounds great, albeit too expensive for weekly use. My math tells me that, using 17 ounces for four wheels (between 15 and 20 ounces is my average) comes out to $14.00 a wash!!!

($99.00 x 1.07(tax) / 128oz * 17oz per wash)

I'm just about finished with a gallon of Griot's. It doesn't work as well as Mother's Foaming All Wheel. Mother's is a better product. the Griot's is pretty much kind of a gentle concentrated soap. It will not clean the calipers nor the hubs and everything needs to be brushed - even with weekly washes. It does finish great and seems not to remove the sealant off the wheels though. Can't say that about Mother's because I tried it before I applied sealant to the wheels.

Mother's all Wheel will clean everything with a lot less agitation, depending on how much dirt and brake dust there is and the amount of dwell time. If the wheels are fairly clean no agitation is needed at all.

AG is carrying the Mother's product by the gallon for $29.99 so I will go back to it when I run out of Griot's, which should be by next week :).

I use about 15-20 ounces of each of the products for four wheels so a gallon lasts about the same for both.

Jose
Click to expand...

You need to coat your wheels with Opti-Coat then use soap and water :)
 
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